By: Ts Dr Muhammad Fakhrul Yusuf
Academic Associate of GET-BS | Nexus of Strategic Innovation in Sustainability and Digital Transformation (XSIST) (Learn | Lead | Lecture) | Senior Lecturer of the Faculty of Industrial Management, UMPSA
I remember my senior once asking me during my early years as a young engineer: “What do engineers really do?” The answer, at its core, is simple yet profound: we solve problems. Any problems. Problems of today, problems of tomorrow, tangible issues we can see, latent challenges hidden beneath the surface, and even potential issues that may not yet exist but will eventually emerge.
This perspective is not limited to engineering; it applies to all professions.
If you’re an HR executive, you solve problems about people and performance.
If you’re a Lean Executive, you solve problems about efficiency.
Likewise, when you graduate from a university program, your professional path might differ depending on the discipline you chose. But the common thread is always the responsibility to address and improve situations.
If you are an MBA graduate from the GET-BS, UMPSA, your role should not be confined to doing what other MBA graduates do. You are expected to go further, to deliver something extra, particularly when technical evaluations related to business-critical analyses are required. This “something extra” is what sets you apart and prepares you to make a distinctive impact. The essence remains the same; your role is to identify challenges within your domain and resolve them in ways that add value to the organisation.
Source: https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/04/06/15/02/hand-2208491_1280.jpg
That being said, the nature of problem-solving evolves as one progresses in a career. When I advanced up the corporate ladder, I realized that being an engineer still meant solving problems. However, the key difference was not in the act of solving itself, but in prioritising which problems to solve first. Every solution consumes costs, time, and energy, resources that are often limited. Learning how to prioritise, not only from a technical perspective but from the broader lens of business strategy, became critical to my growth.
This reality extends to every career path. Making decisions solely based on your professional expertise is one thing; it ensures accuracy and depth. But considering the whole organisational picture, understanding trade-offs, and aligning solutions with business objectives is what defines long-term success. It is not just about being an expert in your field; it is about being a problem-solver who understands the context, the priorities, and the bigger picture.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to your ability to solve problems and your wisdom to decide which problems truly matter.
